Basket-cover



(No Model.)

A. S. OI-IAMBERLINQ BASKET COVER.

Patented Peb. 8, 1887.

NllED TATES ATENT FFECEQ BASKET-COVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,466, dated February 8, 1887.

Application filed August 18, 1886. Serial No. 211,213. (No model To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AMOS S. CHAMBERLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Croton, in the county of Hunterdon and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Covers for Fruit-Baskets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in covers for fruit-baskets; and it consists of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the various parts for service, substantially'as hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a cover for fruit'baskets embodying my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view througha fruit-basket with my improved cover applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detached view of the cover, and Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the catch for detachably connecting the cover to the basket.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the cover for a fruit-basket embodying my invention, which consists of a rim or head, a, and a series of transverse slats, a, which are secured at their extremities to the rim or head and arranged parallel with each other and equidistant, to provide the intermediate spaces or openings through which the air can circulate very freely and have access to the fruit or contentsof the basket in order to keep the same in a better and more wholesome condition.

The slats are curved longitudinally, so as to bulge upwardly at the middle of the cover, and they are braced and strengthened by a transversely'arranged slat, a, which is secured at its extremities to the rim or head, and is located beneath the parallel slats, which are secured to it by nails or other suitable fastening devices.

No novelty is herein claimed for the peculiar construction of the cover hercinbefore described, as I am aware that the same is not new.

0 designates the fastening devices, (shown more clearly in Fig. 3,) three of which are preferably provided for the cover in order to very securely connect it to the basket, although the number thereof can be varied.

The fastening devices. are provided at their lower free ends with an outwardly and downwardly inclined or beveledlip, 0, so that they will ride very freely and easily upon thesides 0f the basket to facilitate fitting the cover in place, and each of said fastening devices is further provided with an abrupt shoulder, a, that is arranged above the beveled lip 0 thereof and adapted to spring or snap beneath the band at the upper end of the basket, and thus lock the coverto the basket. The fastenings are each bent from a single piece of wire, and comprise the parallel bars d, that are bent inwardly to form the shoulders c, and then outwardly in inclined lines to form the lip c, where they unite or are joined together, and the opposite free ends of the bars are provided or bent to form the hooks or prongs d, which take or are securedin the rim of the cover on the upper side thereof. These fasteuings are secured to therim of the cover equidistant, and they are adapted to yield or spring when fitting the cover in place, and the outward movement or play of the yielding fastenings is limited by means of loops or staples E, which encompass the upper ends of the fast enings and are affixed rigidly to the sides of the rim of the cover, so that the fastenings will impinge against the loops, which will thereby prevent the further play thereof and relieve the hooks or prongs d of too great strain, which is liable to break andinj ure them.

I am aware of the fasteners for jar-covers shown in Patent No. 336,730, which consists of a single piece of wire looped in the middle and curved to conform to the curvature of the jar, bent outward and upward to pass the rim of-the jar, and having coils formed near its ends and secured to the cover of the jar beyond the coils; but such is not my invention, and this therefore I disclaim.

In my improved fruit-basket coverI employ two or more equidistant vertical fastening devices. Each of these fasteners is bent or formed from a single piece of spring-wire, and comprises two parallel arms, which are bent abruptly at their lower ends to form two shoulders, and thenbent outwardly and downwardly to form an inclined lip, which rides or bears upon the sides of the basket to insure the easy and ready adjustment of the cover to the basket. The outward movement of the fastener is limited by a loop, E, which embraces the upper ends of the parallel arms and is rigidly affixed to the rim of the cover, so that any undue strain is prevented from coming upon the prongs and vertical parallel bars of the fastener, which is liable to injure and break the same.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

As an improved article of manufacture, the herein-described cover for fruit-baskets, having the rim and two or more spring-catches connected to the rim and comprising the parallel side bars provided with the prongs at their upper ends, which are affixed to the upper sides of the rim, and the shoulders and AMOS S. CHAMBERLIN.

Witnesses:

H. L. STRUT, C. A. HANN. 

